Compendium
by Flowers for the Cynic
Summary: It hadn't been love at first sight. He called her at least ten different names before he learned her real name. So no, maybe it wasn't love at first sight. But Itachi had certainly been intrigued. Drabble series. ItaSaku.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: All Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto**

Author's Note: What's up, everyone? I'm back in action! I deactivated my account a while back but I'm slowly making my way back into the world of fic writing. I'm starting by gradually re-uploading this series and adding more chapters onto it. So, maybe you've read this before I went MIA or maybe you haven't. Either way, have fun!

I've said before that I am open to several Sakura pairings and while that is true, this particular one is among my favorites. This will be a drabble series composed of random oneshots of ItaSaku. I know that SasuSaku is canon but forget that tidbit of information for this series.

This is rated T but that's just to cover all my bases for future prompts. I may change the rating as needed.

* * *

Chapter 1:

 **Coffee Encounters**

He remembered the first time she walked into the café. It had been the beginning of April and he could even distinctly recall the cherry blossom tree outside finally blooming to its fullest. Perhaps the romantics of the world might even dare call it fate that he met a girl with hair the color of cherry blossoms the afternoon of that same day. But Uchiha Itachi would have to disagree. After all, he couldn't say that he fell in love with her the moment she walked through the café's doors, the tinkling of the bells that signaled a new customer acting as the preamble to their love story's melody.

No, it hadn't been love at first sight. He called her at least ten different names before he learned her real name. So no, maybe it wasn't love at first sight. But Itachi had certainly been intrigued.

* * *

Wearing a dress perfect for the spring weather, her entrance caused quite a stir. Patrons of the café shuffled their newspapers lower, glanced up from their laptops, and halted in the act of bringing cups of coffee to their lips.

Noticing the sudden change in everyone's behavior, Itachi paused in the process of putting a foam of milk on a customer's order and peered at whatever had attracted the others' attention.

Itachi had several expectations in mind. Perhaps an idol had entered the café, but that idea was easily tossed away when he registered the lack of prepubescent-like screaming that commonly accompanied an idol. Maybe someone of political importance? But where were the security and the chatter of business? Within a second, several ideas had taken residence in Itachi's head.

But when he finally caught sight of the person, she was nothing at all as he had expected.

Flushed alabaster skin from walking outside and a shy smile. But all those were secondary characteristics when placed in comparison to her hair and eyes. With hair as pink as cherry blossoms and with eyes a peculiar shade of green, her dress may have been white but she was surely a very colorful person.

She wasn't gorgeous. She wouldn't be the kind of girl that'd be in magazine covers nor was she wearing anything remotely revealing that would inspire lecherous gazes. But in no way was she ugly. On the contrary, Itachi had to admit that in her own way, she was beautiful. Despite her vibrant coloring, she didn't possess the kind of beauty that was loud and asked to be acknowledged. Hers was quieter, perhaps as shy as the way she looked. It was the kind of beautiful that fluttered away too quickly and left a person wondering in daze where he ought to begin the chase in order to see it once more.

She was beautiful but if you blink a second too fast or too slow, you might just not notice. It's a good thing that Itachi liked to pay attention.

"What can I get for you ojou-chan?" By now, all the other customers had returned to what they had been originally doing. Before he could be caught staring, Itachi resumed to make the coffees lined up on the inside counter. He would let Shisui handle the girl. Itachi's cousin worked the register because according to him, Itachi always acted like an emotionless gentleman. A gentleman, sure, but still emotionless. Shisui said that Itachi would only succeed in scaring away the customers if he worked anything but the coffee machines.

Though he wasn't looking, Itachi could sense the smile that accompanied the girl's words. Shisui seemed to have that effect on people. "A mocha to go, please."

"One mocha coming right up," Shisui proclaimed happily.

As he wrote the girl's order on the cup, Shisui took the time to examine the girl in front of him while asking, "And could I have your name, ojou-chan?"

"Sakura," she answered.

Shisui blinked but shook his head. "Well, Sakura-chan, after you've tasted my cousin's coffee, you'll never want to go to another café again. Plus, you'll have the joy of getting to see me each time," he added with a wink.

Sakura laughed softly, her smile causing the corners of her eyes to wrinkle and Shisui just couldn't help the next words that popped out of his mouth. "So…kawaii."

The girl arched a brow but otherwise, did not comment. Shisui wanted to groan aloud. She probably thought he was some sort of creep now. Swallowing awkwardly, he proceeded, "Uh…we'll have your order ready over there in a bit, Sakura-chan."

Thankfully, Sakura still looked every bit amused as she accepted the change and moved to stand at the corner. But not before glancing at the name on the small plaque pinned to his shirt and saying, "Arigato, Shisui-san."

Shisui could be excused for the light brush of pink on his cheeks.

And in perhaps the shortest wait for a coffee that Sakura had ever experienced, her name was being called out.

"Sakura-san."

Moving deftly to the counter to retrieve her coffee, Itachi offered the necessary words that Shisui always reminded him to tell the customers. "Arigato and have a nice rest of the day."

"Arigato." He had not expected the customer to return his words with another "thank you." Most simply shied away or tended to be intimidated by Itachi that they simply nodded and offered him a weak, if not forced smile.

Looking up from the next coffee order he had already begun, he was surprised to see the pink-haired girl. She gave him one last smile before setting off to depart.

So her name was Sakura? Perhaps her parents had simply been unimaginative or perhaps they had been surprised when their daughter had been born with strands of pink atop her head. Either way, a big part of Itachi could not believe that a couple would name a pink-haired child Sakura.

"She's cute, isn't she?" Shisui said while leaning against one of the coffee machines.

"Hn."

"Think I have a shot with someone as cute as her?"

"Hn."

Shisui sighed exasperatedly at his cousin. "If you don't think she's cute then you really need to get laid, Itachi."

"Hn."

It would not matter what he thought. If the girl decided to return to their café, then she'll soon become another regular customer to memorize along with her regular order. She'll just be another person in the long list of names that Itachi calls out from morning to night.

* * *

Itachi didn't see her until another two weeks later. Wearing another dress, she walked in. Some of the patrons looked up, but most of the regulars remembered her and continued with their own private affairs.

"Konnichiwa!" Shisui greeted. In the two weeks since he had last seen her, Shisui had come to the conclusion that she looked like a princess. A very colorful princess. "Another mocha to go?" he asked, prepared to write the order down.

"Iie. Not this time. A caramel macchiato, please," she amended.

Nodding, he wrote down her order. "I haven't seen you for a while."

"Do you promise not to be upset if I tell you the reason why?" she asked playfully.

Shisui raised a brow but nodded with a smile.

Leaning forward as if she was planning to impart some kind of dangerous secret, she whispered, "I tried out a bunch of other coffee shops for two weeks."

Shisui pretended to look aghast. "I can't believe you didn't take my word for it when I said that we had the best coffee in town!"

"I know, I know." She put her palms up in a mock gesture of peace. "But I ended up back here, so I suppose everything turned out your way in the end."

Laughing, Shisui agreed and asked for her name. He didn't want to accidentally put the wrong name on her cup even though he was pretty sure he already knew her name. After all, it was hard to forget someone with pink hair.

But when she offered her name, Shisui wasn't sure if had misheard. "What was that again?" he asked.

"Shiro," she stated with a sly smile.

Odd. Shisui could have sworn her name was Sakura.

But he didn't argue since someone else was in line behind Saku–Shiro-chan. Waving her to the side, Shisui just shook his head in confusion. He must be getting old.

"Shiro-san."

Itachi was slightly puzzled when the pink-haired girl was the one who moved to take the drink. Sakura smiled at him and in turn, he blinked not once, but three times at her. Hadn't her name been Sakura?

Itachi was just about to inquire when she leaned forward to peer at his clothes. Knitting her brows, she said, "You don't have a nametag. How am I supposed to thank you properly if I don't know your name?"

None of the other customers had ever asked for his name and Itachi was a bit taken aback. Unlike Shisui, he never wore a nametag because he worked the coffee machines. He didn't take part in the casual conversations that occurred regularly at the register.

And why did it matter if she knew his name? Weren't pleasantries nothing more but attempts to fulfill the societal expectations of being kind? Surely she didn't need to know his name to do so.

Completely forgetting his intended question, Itachi smirked and grunted, "Hn."

* * *

She visited the Uchihas' quaint little café four days later on a Friday. It was a very busy day and it was lunchtime and people seemed to prefer coffee over actual food.

When Itachi called out the name, "Hajime-san," he barely registered the person who took the cup of Americano from the counter. That was, until he heard his own name being returned.

"Arigato, Itachi-san."

Itachi snapped his head upwards so quickly that he may have hurt his neck in the process. But by the time he had looked up to search for the telltale signs of pink, he only caught a glimpse of her profile as she exited through the door.

Looking to Shisui because he would be the only reason why she would know his name, Itachi narrowed his eyes when his cousin waved sheepishly at him.

* * *

Itachi was having an incredibly taxing day. He did not know how (but he will be sure to find out who did it, so that he could throttle them on a later day), but somehow, his fangirls had located his workplace. Hordes of them had come barreling in early (too early) this morning. Itachi much preferred when the customer shuffled away nervously and quickly upon retrieving the designated coffee. Anything was better than the shrill voices of fangirls constantly asking for his number and address.

Sighing, Itachi was more than glad when the day had began to dwindle into quietness.

The tinkling of the bell above the door indicated a new customer, specifically, the pink-haired girl.

But before she could reach the register to order, another patron entered the premises. Instead of heading towards the counter as expected, the man surprised everyone when he dropped in front of the pink-haired girl and bellowed, "Haruno-san!"

Said girl blinked and Itachi tucked away the new knowledge of her family name into the confines of his memories.

"Haruno-san! Please be my girlfriend!" The suddenness of the question caught Itachi's attention wholly and he registered Shisui coughing in surprise as well.

"Lee-san," she began.

He had a bowl-cut hair and was wearing an odd match of a green running suit with orange leg warmers. But his most prominent features were his eyebrows. Bushy and dark, had his eyes not been big as well, his eyebrows would have surely hidden them away.

"Lee-san," she repeated. Looking softly at the boy, she shook her head with a kind smile.

But the boy didn't seem hindered nor overly letdown. Instead, he stood from the ground and positioned a thumbs-up before yelling, "Do not worry, Haruno-san! I will strive to be more youthful so that I may become deserving to call himself your boyfriend! By the power of youth, I promise this. And if I cannot become your boyfriend next time, I will do two hundred pushups as punishment."

Sweatdropping, she watched Lee run out of the café with every intention of improving his youth.

Meanwhile, Shisui had caught the slightly disgruntled look adorning his cousin's face since the boy with thick eyebrows had asked their pink-haired princess to his girlfriend. Knowing that he ought to nurture even the littlest of emotions displayed by his cousin, Shisui walked up to Itachi and whispered, "If you don't act soon, she'll end up marrying that bushy-brow sooner or later."

Shisui had the pleasure of watching his cousin's ears turn pink and mumble something about needing to make coffee.

Needless to say, Itachi barely glanced up when "Ryuko-san" took her order and thanked him by his name.

Three more times that week, she visited the coffee shop, each time ordering a different drink. On the third time, Shisui approached Itachi as she departed with her coffee.

Wiping his hands on his apron, Shisui said, "You know…she's never given the same name twice. Makes me wonder what her name really is."

Itachi grunted in agreement. "Perhaps you should ask her," he suggested.

Shisui shook his head. "I think you should do it."

Itachi raised a brow inquiringly, silently asking why. But Shisui just laughed and clapped him on the back.

Shisui had seen the softer look that Itachi adopted whenever he served their nameless (or should he say, nameful) customer her coffee. It was like the ever-present stoicism that Itachi always wore was peeled away with every meeting. Besides, she was the only one who can look Itachi straight in the eyes without turning into some weird fangirl. In turn, she was one of the few people outside their family that Itachi allowed to call him by his first name.

Itachi may not know it yet but he and…their multi-named customer were meant for each other.

* * *

"Ne, Sasuke-kun," she said. "I forgot something in the car. Can you go ahead and order for me already?"

Sasuke nodded and handed her the car keys. Before she could step out, he asked, "The usual?"

Smiling, she nodded.

Unknown to the two of them, the two other Uchihas working at the café had watched the entire exchange with deep interest.

"Sasu-chan! You know Shizuku-chan?" Shisui asked; he had used the name she had given on her last visit.

Sasuke frowned. "Don't call me that. And what are you talking about? Shizuku?"

Nodding enthusiastically, Shisui said, "The girl you were with. She comes here a lot."

"Her name's not Shizuku."

"We are aware of that, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked towards Itachi who had approached the register to join in the conversation. "Aniki," he greeted.

"She always offers a different name with each visit," Itachi explained.

Smirking, Sasuke placed his hands in his pockets. "Sounds just like something she would do."

"We'd be much obliged if you could tell us her real name," Itachi continued.

Recognizing that he possessed a very vital piece of information, Sasuke smirked even further. "Why don't you ask her yourselves?" he dared to both Shisui and his aniki. "In the meantime, I'll have a black coffee and she'll have a white chocolate mocha."

Itachi bristled at Sasuke's refusal to help but just as he prepared to make the two coffees, something about what Sasuke said stopped him.

"How do you know what it is she wants to order?"

Sasuke looked confused. "What do you mean? It's her usual."

"Shizuku-san does not have a usual."

"Probably because Shizuku doesn't exist."

"Hn." Sasuke could be very frustrating at times.

"Sasuke-kun!" Walking to said boy's side was the current subject of conversation. She greeted Shisui on the way before stopping to stand beside Sasuke. Bumping her hip to his, she asked, "Did you get my order?"

"Hn."

Long accustomed to the Uchiha trademark grunt, she smiled in understanding.

When their coffee arrived, she made sure to thank Itachi by his name with one of her big smiles.

Sasuke blinked when Itachi proffered a small smile of his own. Looking back and forth between his friend and his aniki, Sasuke decided to put a plan in motion – partly to test a hypothesis but mostly to annoy his aniki.

Grabbing their coffee, the two of them turned to leave. Sasuke also chose to hang a loose arm over his pink-haired friend's shoulders. She swiveled her head to smile endearingly at him.

Glancing back, Sasuke smirked wickedly when he noticed the tick on Itachi's jaw and narrowed eyes focused on his careless arm draped around the pink-haired girl.

* * *

"Shisui," Itachi called out.

"Hmm?" Shisui asked while placing the customer's money into the register.

"May we switch positions for a few minutes?"

At this, Shisui finally looked up curiously at Itachi. "You do know that working the register means talking to people, right? And being an actual human being, right?"

"I am not an imbecile, Shisui," Itachi retorted. Nevertheless, a torn expression stole across his face. "But yes…I am…aware of the repercussions."

Shisui couldn't believe that Itachi would willingly ask to man the register. Unless, of course, he had an ulterior motive. Sparing a glance towards the area of the door, Shisui smiled impishly when he saw the pink-haired girl approaching through the glass windows.

"Why…my dear cousin…are you…planning on flirting with our elusive customer?"

When Itachi coughed and stared at a corner tile of the ceiling, Shisui guffawed but consented to Itachi's request. "Go get the girl, tiger," he cheered on.

For a moment, Itachi experienced a mingle of doubt and fear. But he quickly squashed those emotions away. As an Uchiha, he was taught never to waver from his decisions. He had decided to speak with the girl and ask for her name. He would not back away now.

Which was why the pink-haired customer was very surprised when it was not Shisui but Itachi who greeted her at the register.

"Itachi-san? Why are you at the front today?"

Itachi gulped but answered as stoically as possible. "Shisui and I are trying to learn each others' responsibilities today."

"Ah," she nodded in acceptance, oblivious to the muffled chortles of Shisui from the side.

"What will you have?"

"A cappuccino, please."

Writing her order on the cup, Itachi asked, "Your name?"

"Satsuki."

She moved to pay when Itachi's voice stopped her.

"Your name?"

She blinked in confusion. "Nani?"

Itachi inhaled deeply before saying, "You have visited this café enough times to be considered a regular customer. You have never ordered the same drink twice and you have neither offered the same name twice. So I must ask, your name?"

She blinked again before a small smile slowly spread across her face. "What makes you think that Satsuki isn't my real name?"

Itachi bristled but dared, "Is it?"

She allowed a second to pass before shaking her head. "But isn't it a bit unfair, don't you think so, Itachi-san?"

"What do you mean?"

She pretended to appear incredibly offended. "You never gave me your name yet I figured it out without your help. Shouldn't you extend the same gesture then?"

She really was…unlike any other girl he had ever met. He had to know her name. He needed to know her name.

"I…I asked my otouto the other day but he proved to be of no help. He suggested that I ask you myself."

"Sounds just like Sasuke-kun."

"If I may ask…how do you know my brother?"

"We go to the same university and we went to high school together. But I've never seen you around the Uchiha compound before," she admitted honestly. "I only recently learned that you were the famous aniki that Sasuke-kun always talks about."

Ah. He had already moved to the university's dormitories when Sasuke had reached high school. He probably visited the compound whenever she was not around.

"Hn."

She laughed. "Just like Sasuke-kun." She placed the money for her coffee on the counter and said, "The first one."

Itachi knitted his brows in question.

"My name. The real one. It was the first one I gave you."

Fortunately, Itachi had not forgotten the day of the first time she had entered the café. Neither had he forgotten the first name she had given.

"Sakura," he whispered more to himself, but she heard him and smiled sweetly.

Grabbing her coffee from an overly zealous Shisui who kept repeating her name over and over simply because he now knew it, she prepared to exit the café.

"Sakura-san?"

She stopped mid-step and turned to glance at Itachi who had spoken her name.

"Are you…are you in a relationship with my otouto?"

This time, Sakura laughed so loudly that the other customers turned to stare at her. Wiping fake tears from the corners of her eyes, she shook her head and just to make sure there would be no misunderstandings, she reiterated her response with a loud, "No."

Sakura watched animatedly as relief appeared on Itachi-san's face. Deciding to be brave, she re-approached the counter, and thankfully, no other customer had followed after her purchase.

"Itachi-san," she said.

Leaning forward on the tips of her toes, Itachi still had to bend down to be of equal height to Sakura. Heat flooded his cheeks, his neck, and his ears when Sakura moved her face so that her lips were resting near his ear.

"Are you in a relationship with anybody, Itachi-san?" she whispered.

From the corner of her vision, she could see his Adam's apple bob upwards prominently as he swallowed. Slowly, he shook his head, becoming redder in the face when the action caused Sakura's lips to brush softly against his skin.

When Sakura pulled back, a sincere smile was pasted on her face. Backing away, she had already reached the café's door when she paused and turned to the still red in the face and unmoving Itachi.

"Itachi-san!"

He jolted into movement at the sound of her voice and she couldn't stop the giggle that escaped from her throat.

"Ne, Itachi-san. Let's grab coffee together sometime!"

Itachi didn't find the words he needed to say until she had already been long gone. Sighing because he wanted to do nothing more than chase after her, he settled for closing his eyes and breathing deeply several times.

When he opened them and peered downwards, he was surprised to find a cup of coffee sitting between his splayed hands.

Had Sakura-san forgotten her coffee? Searching for the name and the order, he finalized that she had indeed forgotten her coffee. But to his absolute wonder, a small card fluttered to the floor when he had picked up the cup. Bending down to pluck the piece of paper from the ground, he instantly recognized it as a calling card for a university tutor.

And to his great joy – and for the rest of the day everyone would wonder why the often stoic Uchiha Itachi was smiling – the tutor was none other than Haruno Sakura.

She had left her number for Itachi.

In the background near the coffee machines, Shisui couldn't help but think that he was right all along. His cousin and the once multi-named customer did in fact belong together.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed that. Ratings and reviews are much appreciated, and as I've said in my bio, flowers magically appearing on my doorstep are also accepted wholeheartedly. This particular oneshot was a fairly long one in my opinion. Please do not expect all of them to be of this length. Most of the next ones will be much shorter.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: All Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto**

Author's Note: So, I couldn't help myself and decided to post this early. I'm having too much fun being back in the fanfiction craze. Also, today is Sasu-cakes' birthday and shouldn't we celebrate with a little bit of fic? Even though this is ItaSaku, there's a tiny bit of Sasuke in here.

Anyways, hopefully you all don't expect future updates to be posted this soon to each other. But who knows, maybe I'll be spurned by some sort of writing muse and actually post chapters one after another.

Anyways, happy reading.

Non-mass

* * *

Chapter 2:

 **Birthday Cake**

"Aniki."

"What is it, Sasuke?"

"Do I really have to go?"

"Sakura-chan is turning six years of age today, Sasuke. Do you not want to celebrate this important day with her?"

Trudging through the streets, a six-year-old Uchiha Sasuke grumbled and kicked a pebble in his path. "I'm not even friends with her. She's annoying."

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Sasuke."

"But it's true, nii-san! She keeps calling me 'Sasuke-kun' and she's always bothering me." Sasuke paused before adding, "Besides, she's not even from a shinobi family. She shouldn't be hanging out with us. She doesn't belong with people like us."

Although Sasuke hailed from one of the greatest shinobi clans in Konoha, he had yet to receive advanced training. At six years old, he would begin attending the academy at the second week of the next month. But for now, Sasuke's shinobi skills did not yet include recognizing chakra fluctuations. As such, he did not notice when his beloved aniki – who had been walking at least ten steps behind the sullen Sasuke – utilized the body flicker technique. Sasuke stumbled and nearly fell onto the ground when Itachi suddenly appeared in front of him.

Itachi crouched in front of his otouto and effectively poked him at the center of his forehead.

Sasuke yelped and threw a hand to rub the abused site. "Aniki!"

But Itachi was unperturbed. Rather, he offered the younger boy a serious look. "That was a very rude thing to say about Sakura-chan," he scolded. "Just because she isn't from a shinobi clan doesn't mean that she deserves to be treated with disrespect. Besides, Sakura-chan will be among your classmates at the academy next month."

Still rubbing his forehead, Sasuke scowled at being reprimanded at the middle of a street by his elder brother.

Itachi sighed lightly when he noticed that Sasuke did not look prepared to accept the fact that he did, indeed, say something ill-mannered.

"You know how okaasan feels about Sakura-chan, right? How do you think she would react if she were to hear what you just said?"

As expected, Sasuke widened his eyes and scrunched his brows together. "Aniki, you wouldn't…" he trailed off, looking desperately at Itachi.

Because Haruno Sakura was the daughter that Uchiha Mikoto had always wanted. The little pink-haired child belonged to one of the largest merchant families in Konoha, which led to both of her parents being regularly away from the village. Thankfully, Haruno Mebuki and Uchiha Mikoto were great friends and Sakura was often left in the care of the Uchiha matriarch. A much better option than traveling through the nations with an incredibly young child.

Though there was still tension between the hidden villages due to the most recent war, the Harunos did not allow that matter to get in the way of their business. They travelled to Suna and the other villages on a regular basis in order to conduct trade. Most merchant families shared a similar perspective. After all, animosity bred from a war between shinobi was no reason to lose money.

As a hidden village, many of the citizens of Konoha were shinobi. They were raised to wield weapons the moment they learned to walk. As a result, many of those shinobi were unable to relate with the civilian populace.

Many did not realize that being a civilian, especially a merchant, usually posed more danger than being a shinobi. Unlike Itachi and his comrades, civilians were not trained to protect themselves in the face of a missing-nin. But just like Itachi and his comrades, civilians still traversed behind enemy lines.

Bandits tended to steal, not kill; they were not the typical cause of a merchant's death. Instead, merchants were often caught in the crossfires of a battle between shinobi. And when battling S-ranked missing-nin, jounins and ANBU cannot always spare the attention to protect the unfortunate civilians caught in the middle. At least not when they had their own teammates to protect and a mission to complete.

Just because those incidents with the civilians weren't publicly reported did not mean that they did not exist. There was no memorial stone for dead civilians. No one remembered them except for the families that lost them.

When Sasuke sighed but nodded, Itachi accepted it as an agreement to behave for at least the duration of the party. Patting his otouto's head, Itachi stood from the ground and continued to walk to their destination.

Staring at his otouto's small form, he kept his thoughts to himself because Sasuke was still too young to understand. As opposed to common belief, Haruno Sakura, or any civilian child for that matter, would sooner wake up to find two body bags at her front door than any of her shinobi counterparts.

Many civilian children became orphans. Fortunately, Uchiha Mikoto would rather be damned than to see that young girl become an orphan if her parents did decide to abandon the living.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun!" Upon entering the threshold of the Haruno home, a blur of pink and half a second later, Sakura was hugging a stiff Sasuke.

Itachi offered the younger Uchiha a pointed look to make sure that he did nothing overly offending.

"Itachi-san! You came too! Arigato!" Itachi's natural aura of intimidation did not seem to affect Sakura. The little girl burst forward and wrapped her tiny arms around his legs. Most people, even children, would not have even entertained the thought of doing so.

"Ah, happy birthday, Sakura-chan. Okaasan and otousan send their regards," he said with a small smile.

She returned his words with a much larger smile of her own.

From afar, a voice yelled out, "Is that Sasuke-kun, forehead?" A young Yamanaka – perhaps Inoichi-san's daughter – ran out from the crowd and proceeded to jump his otouto. Sasuke barely had enough time to widen his eyes before the blond girl excitedly pushed him onto the floor.

"Ne, ne, Sasuke-kun. I missed you! Did you miss me too? But don't worry, Sasuke-kun, I'll never let you go ever again." His otouto, for his part, looked horrified at the prospect of having the Yamanaka glued onto him for the entirety of the party. "Come on, Sasuke-kun." She pulled Sasuke from the floor and was soon dragging him off into the throng of people before the boy could even utter a word of protest.

As both children disappeared, Itachi glanced down when he felt a tug on his fingers.

Haruno Sakura was staring at him with her large green eyes. It was, perhaps, the only thing she inherited from her parents. Both Haruno Kizashi and Haruno Mebuki were a collection of sharp lines and harsh features. Though Sakura was still very young, Itachi knew that she would grow up with a softer and more delicate look. Her bright pink hair would only accentuate the femininity she was sure to exude. An appearance that would seem at odds with the profession she was attempting to enter.

Itachi shook his head at the sudden thought that Sakura would definitely break some hearts when she grew up. Perhaps even her teammates' hearts. He almost chuckled at the mental image when another thought took precedence in his mind.

While beauty was a gift, it was also a curse for a kunoichi. Seduction missions were not endorsed to the public but they were one of the most prevalent types of missions assigned to a kunoichi. Whether the goal was to gather information or complete an assassination, a pretty kunoichi could make the process all the more easier.

And glancing down at the doe-eyed girl clutching at his fingers, Itachi knew for a fact that she would be highly requested for those kinds of missions.

Despite the fact that Itachi was aware that seduction was an inevitable part of a kunoichi's career, he couldn't help the narrowing of his eyes. Just a little bit, he tightened his fingers around her hand, an action that Sakura noticed because she blinked owlishly up at Itachi.

Looking back down at the girl, he picked her up and she giggled when he placed her on his back.

"Do you want to see a shinobi trick, Sakura-chan?"

The little girl bobbed in excitement atop his shoulders. "Please, Itachi-san," she spoke.

"Do not let go," he warned. Tiny hands clasped just above his eyes and a tinkling laughter echoed behind the two of them as Itachi used the shunshin no jutsu to dart from one area of the house to the next.

 _No_ , he thought. He didn't care if it was part of a kunoichi's responsibilities. He'd make sure that when the time came, Haruno Sakura would not take part in a single seduction mission. The moment the Hokage decides to offer her a scroll with the infamous scarlet seal symbolizing a seduction mission, Itachi would be damned if it ever reached her grasp.

* * *

All in all, the party was an extravaganza. Though Itachi was quite sure that the Harunos had used their daughter's party for an entirely different reason.

Hidden beneath the massive festivities, numerous business transactions were occurring. The children were too preoccupied with the balloons, the confetti, and the platefuls of desserts to notice that something was amiss.

It was normal for adults to attend a child's birthday party, but in this case, Itachi was quite sure that the child-to-adult ratio was severely skewed. The Ishida couple were present and they didn't even have a child below the age of twenty-three. The same applied to the Oreki and the Hirasawa family. Itachi wasn't even confident that Sakura knew who those people were. But it did not matter that they were quite possibly strangers to the birthday celebrant. What mattered was the fact that all three of those families were prominent names in the trading world. Names that could potentially rival the Harunos.

For the past three hours, Itachi had heard the Harunos murmur of trading routes, buyouts, and even a potential merger.

This party was not meant for Sakura. Its primary purpose was to assure the success of the Haruno business as well as to publicly parade their status to the other families that also earned their living as merchants. _We are the Harunos and we are the better than all of you._

"Make a wish, sweetie," Haruno Mebuki ushered her daughter as a large birthday cake was placed onto the table.

Sakura was the image of innocence as she closed her gleaming viridian eyes to make an equally innocent wish before blowing out the six candles lined atop the cake.

As the soft smoke from the flames danced in front of Sakura's grinning face, Itachi felt his hands clench into fists.

When Sakura's parents hugged their daughter, Itachi thought that they would have been wonderful shinobi. When they had acted out the necessary roles of parents, they quickly moved away from Sakura to conduct business elsewhere.

 _Tch_. To be able to lie so easily to their daughter about their intentions…they would have certainly been such wonderful shinobi.

His okaasan may have adored the Harunos, but had Sakura not been a part of the family, Itachi doubted that he would have even tolerated them. There was something about their manner of living that irked Itachi. The way that they treated life as a chess game, counting their losses and their gains as they went. Sooner or later, Sakura's piece would be moved and the poor girl would become another pawn in her parents' game.

Just a little bit, civilians could be much more cruel than shinobi.

When Sakura looked up and caught Itachi's line of sight, she offered him a broad smile and a zealous wave. She didn't even notice her parents on the side, shaking the hands of another family as a business transaction was successfully completed.

* * *

"Itachi-san!"

At the sound of his name, Itachi turned around to catch the pink-haired child bulldozing through the crowd.

"Itachi-san," she repeated in something akin to a whine. "You just disappeared and I couldn't find you. I thought you left." She pouted and knitted her brows together.

Itachi patted her on the head and responded, "I offered to help with the cleanup." Because after such an enormous celebration, the things to sweep and pick up were equally enormous. "Besides," he continued, "did you honestly think that I would leave without saying goodbye?"

Sakura shook her head and smiled. "Itachi-san's too nice to do that."

As Itachi returned to picking up the scattered wrapping paper on the floor, Sakura spoke, "Ne, Itachi-san, I had a lot of fun today."

"Hn."

At six years of age, Sakura was already accustomed to the Uchiha grunt and continued with her statement. "I bet Mikoto-san threw you the best birthday parties when you were like me. Mikoto-san's so nice like that," she added as an afterthought with a giggle. "Wanna know what I asked for when I blew out my candles?" She didn't wait for a reply. "I said I want a family like Itachi-san's and Sasuke-kun's. Tou-san and kaa-san are always gone. I miss them a lot. They said they were leaving again tomorrow morning. Tou-san said just for fifteen days this time. But it's still gonna be lonely."

For a while, Itachi was surprised by her declaration. He paused in his ministrations and glanced at the girl before him. She was staring at the floor and playing with the hem of her dress.

Sakura had just always seemed so happy. So happy and content with her life that Itachi never considered that the constant absence of her blood family was affecting her so deeply.

He was attempting to formulate the proper response to her words, but she suddenly inquired, "Itachi-san, what did you use to wish for when you blew out your candles?"

He paused before answering with a shake of his head, "I've never celebrated my birthday."

At that, Sakura ripped her gaze from the floor to stare incredulously at Itachi. "Never?" she clarified disbelievingly.

He nodded his head.

It was true. Itachi had grown up to the sounds of war shaking the walls of his home. Back then, surviving to fight the next day was enough reason for a celebration. No one had time for birthdays. When the war had ended, Itachi felt that he was too old for birthdays because by law, he was technically an adult anyways.

He was pulled from his memories when two hands clasped one of his. Sakura was looking at him intently, her viridian eyes bright with emotion. "Wait here, Itachi-san," she ordered before quickly running away.

Itachi sighed. He should have just lied and made up some wish. The young girl would probably return with a bounty of questions about a past that Itachi would rather keep buried.

To his surprise, Sakura came speeding back towards him within the next minute. She nearly tumbled to the ground in her hurry and almost dropped the item in her hand.

Rushing to Itachi's side, she grabbed one of his hands and pulled him to a kneeling position in front of her. Puffing, she proffered a slice of chocolate cake. When Itachi took the plate from her, she pulled another item from the pocket of her dress.

It was a candle.

Itachi's eye twitched with sudden emotion, but Sakura did not notice.

"Kaa-san wouldn't give me matches cause she said they were dangerous," she explained. "You just have to pretend. Sorry," she muttered shamefully to the floor.

Grasping her chin with his forefinger and thumb, Sakura squeaked when she was forced to meet his gaze.

"Sakura-chan, why are you doing this for me?"

She couldn't move her head from his hold so she settled for averting her eyes to the corner. "You don't need a party, Itachi-san. But everyone has a wish and we should all get the chance to at least ask for it. Even if it might not come true. Even you, Itachi-san."

As a shinobi, the only expected wish was to be able to come home from the next mission alive. But no one had ever asked what Itachi wished for in his life. A wish without the heavy weight of his profession or his family name. A wish that belonged solely to Itachi.

But right in front of him, a six-year-old Sakura, so innocent and so full of love, was asking him for what he wanted when no one else ever did.

Gently plucking the candle from her grasp, he stuck it into the icing of the birthday cake.

"We don't have to pretend, Sakura-chan," he said. When she scrunched up her brows in question, Itachi used his free hand to perform the hand sign for a small katon jutsu.

Sakura's eyes widened like globes when a flame erupted from Itachi's lips to light the lone candle. "Is that a shinobi trick too?"

"It's a special Uchiha shinobi trick," he answered gently.

"So only Uchihas can do it?" she asked disappointedly.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan," he consoled. "I'll make sure that when you're old enough, you'll learn it too."

She immediately brightened at the thought. "Really, Itachi-san?"

He nodded.

"It's a promise?" she urged.

"Promise." And Itachi meant it. That much he knew.

"Ne, Itachi-san." He tilted his head to side when her voice became much softer and a streak of red painted her cheeks. "Can I…can I call you Itachi-kun? Sasuke-kun gets mad at me when I call him that. I don't want you to be mad at me too."

Itachi smiled at the girl. Placing a hand atop her head, he answered, "Of course, Sakura-chan. And believe me, I could never get mad at you."

When the flame flickered against the soft breeze when someone passed by, Sakura prompted Itachi-kun to make a wish before his candle lost its fire.

 _One day, I wish I can give her the kind of family she deserves._

* * *

Author's Note: I know that there was an episode in the anime where Sakura's parents were shinobi, but I'm going to go ahead and pretend that it never happened. I've always liked the idea of Sakura coming from a civilian family and being a first-generation shinobi.

Rate and review if you'd please. And anyone figure out how to magically teleport flowers to me yet? No? Oh, well. See you all in the next ItaSaku adventure!


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: All Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto**

Author's Note: What's up, everyone? It's about one-ish in the morning in my side of the world, but I couldn't sleep so you're all getting a fic update.

Also, this particular oneshot is not quite like the two previous chapters. So, a quick warning: ANGST. So much angst. Brace yourselves. If this type of story is not your cup of coffee (or tea if you don't drink coffee), then I don't particularly recommend this chapter.

If you do decide to continue, happy reading!

Non-mass.

* * *

Chapter 3:

 **Tadaima**

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Do you want to kill him? Because if you keep pushing that much chakra, he's going to end up dead and trust me that if that happens, I'll make sure that you go six feet under the ground as well."

"Go–gomen, Haruno-san!" Eager to avoid another verbal assault, the flustered medic immediately decreased the amount of chakra she was using.

Knitting her brows together in concentration, Sakura knew that she was being unnecessarily harsh with her words. She was supposed to be composed because when everyone else fell like puppets with their strings snipped away, medics were the ones with the ability to help the team survive.

But Sakura would have rather been in the middle of an ambush right now. An ambush where the odds would seem hopeless and she would be forced to perform a rapid healing on the forest floor. A situation wherein she would be dodging kunais while attempting to save her injured comrades.

Because where Sakura was now, she hated it, every minute of it. She hated standing in the operating room of the Konoha Hospital with her arms and shirt splattered in blood. She had long since grown accustomed to the sterile air that smelled of alcohol and multiple other antiseptics, but at this moment, she wanted to gag. The once familiar white walls of the operating room were blinding and she wanted to close her eyes. Most of all, Sakura wanted to _scream_.

She wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all. She wanted to scream at the medics who seemed to have suddenly become idiots when they were needed the most. She wanted to scream at Shizune to find an antidote quicker. She wanted to scream at Tsunade-shishou to save the man in front of them faster and better because wasn't she supposed to be the greatest healer in all of the shinobi nations?

Damn it. Damn it all.

Sakura had long since accepted that she couldn't save everyone. That wasn't to say that she had forgotten the faces of the people that had died under her care. She held a special space in her heart for those dead people; a place that Sasuke and Naruto had repeatedly told her to destroy because remembering that many sad memories was bound to break her heart someday.

But nonetheless, she remembered them and continued to save the people she actually could. For the promise that she could always save the people she loved, she would keep on healing despite the pile of dead names in her heart.

And kami-sama, she had found someone to love over these past two years. Someone she loved more than a brother as she did for her teammates or as a father as she did for Kakashi. Someone to love because her heart ached beautifully for him.

And Uchiha Itachi loved her back as dearly as the night sky loved the stars.

As he lay on the operating table in front of her, Sakura wanted to scream at Itachi to survive. Because damn it, she needed him. Because the stars could be as beautiful as a thousand diamonds, but without a sky to embrace them, they were nothing but lonely, broken pieces of the universe.

"Don't do this to me, Itachi," she murmured as she was forced to shift her attention to the reopened wound on his abdomen. "If not for me, think of your family. Sasuke would be incredibly lonely without his pain in the ass aniki." She tried to force her words to become more lighthearted but with the tears threatening to spill, her voice faltered. Itachi, who had been forced by her shishou to remain awake with his eyes open, tried to convey some sort of emotion to Sakura. But all Sakura could see in his eyes were pain and waning life.

"Concentrate, Sakura!"

Tsunade-shishou's booming command allowed Sakura to blink the tears back and focus on healing.

She apologized to her shishou for allowing her emotions to overcome her even for a brief moment.

Looking Itachi in the eye one last time, Sakura steeled her resolve. Itachi's left eye twitched minutely the same time Tsunade-shishou cursed, but Sakura ignored them as she focused on her work.

Uchiha Itachi would live. Sakura had to believe that much.

* * *

"Eh?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"I said that I would like to court you," Itachi repeated.

"But–but Sasuke-kun's your brother!"

Itachi gave her a pointed look. "I fail to see how that has anything to do with the relationship I am trying to begin with you."

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and snorted. "Tch. Sasuke-kun would probably beat your ass up if he found out you're trying to get into his teammate's pants."

A smirk played on Itachi's face. "I am asking permission to court you, Sakura-san. I am not asking for a one-night affair. Quite the opposite actually."

A patch of red stained Sakura's cheeks and she shifted her gaze to the ground.

"And as for Sasuke, I would like to see the day that my foolish otouto, as you've so stated, would 'beat my ass up.'"

Just a little bit, Sakura thought she could get used to that overly confident tone.

* * *

With his head on resting on her lap while they sat under a giant oak tree in one of the training grounds, Sakura thought that she wouldn't mind staying in this moment forever.

It was that time of the year where winter was about to kiss spring, and the flowers were beginning to blossom.

The soft breeze tousled her hair and she had to tuck it back behind her ear. The sound of Itachi's quiet breathing as he slept brought a smile to Sakura's face. As she moved a stray strand of Itachi's hair from his face, she had the pleasure of watching his nose twitch adorably like a kitten.

* * *

Sakura swallowed the dango in her mouth and scrunched up her face in contemplation. "Hmm," she said. "This is all hypothetical, correct?" she asked. When he nodded, she proceeded, "I'm not sure I'd be suited to be a matriarch."

Itachi raised a brow as an indication for her to explain.

She put the stick of her remaining dango back on the paper tray before continuing. "It's not necessarily that the responsibilities would be difficult because if I really needed to, I'm pretty sure I can handle them." She paused as she tried to think of a way to properly convey her thoughts. "The problem is that I don't think I can be a matriarch to the Uchiha clan. Your clan is very specific and restricting of what it requires of people who marry into it. I'm not even sure I'd like to raise my future children in it," she admitted.

When Itachi did not immediately reply, she thought that she might have angered him. After all, she just criticized his entire clan. Instead, he surprised her with his response.

" _Hypothetically_ , if I were to ask you to marry me, you would likely refuse due to my position in the clan?" he clarified.

Confused, she nodded once.

"So if I were to promise to renounce my position as heir to my clan when we wed, will you marry me then, Haruno Sakura?"

And under the cover of a small dango shop, Haruno Sakura found herself engaged.

* * *

"Shizune!" Tsunade yelled out. "I need that antidote now!"

Back in the frenzy of the operating room, Sakura hissed when she heard that the antidote was nowhere near complete.

Uchiha Itachi had been carried to the hospital by one of the shinobi guarding the village gates. He had returned from his solo mission with death trailing behind him.

Aside from the concoction of poisons spreading through his bloodstream while threatening to instantaneously stop his heart, a series of deep gash wounds adorned his skin and damaged some of his vital organs. The possible head trauma he sustained was the least of the medics' worries.

Itachi was one of the greatest shinobi in Konohagakure. He was a legend come to life. Whoever did this to him was probably someone short of a monster, if not already one.

Outside the doors of the operating room, Sakura could feel the chakra signatures of several people. Uchiha Mikoto was emanating a presence of absolute worry for her eldest son and even the stern Fugaku seemed to be in a state of unease.

Sasuke was the worse. His chakra was fluctuating in angry spikes and it felt almost as if it was pressing against the doors, daring to strangle the people who would not be able to help his aniki. Sakura wanted to yell at him to leave because she didn't want him to watch her flail to save the person they both loved.

"Damn it," Tsunade muttered.

When the older woman cursed a second time, Sakura dared to glance up and all the color drained from her face.

Beneath her shishou's hands, Itachi's heart was beginning to slow down. Too slow.

Sakura turned desperately to Shizune, hoping she'd have the antidote ready but alas, there was still none.

Alarmed, Sakura frantically met Itachi's eyes and she immediately wished she had not. Because beneath the pain and the waning life that she had originally seen, another emotion was evident in Itachi's eyes – resignation.

Time seemed to have slowed, and though his voice was weak and the sudden beeping of machines filled the room all around, Sakura watched Itachi's lips move to form a lone word.

"Tadaima."

Everything went on overdrive.

Itachi's heart stopped beating. His chakra signature disappeared. The machines all flatlined.

When Tsunade-shishou stopped and moved her hands away to call the time of death, Sakura's hands immediately moved into action.

She pushed the older woman away and started pumping chakra into Itachi's heart, hoping that the sudden influx of healing chakra would force his heart to restart.

She didn't know how long she stood there with her hand's attempting to heal a dead man. But the next thing she knew, her shishou was pulling her away. She fought against Tsunade's hold but could not escape. Sakura fell to the ground just in time to watch Sasuke and his parents burst through the operating room.

Uchiha Mikoto covered her mouth with a hand as tears streamed down her cheeks and Uchiha Fugaku walked out of the room just as quickly.

Sasuke…he had a look of horror in his eyes. A cacophony of emotions that was jarring and unpleasant. He stood frozen at the door until, like Sakura, he fell to the floor as well.

Sakura screamed. She finally screamed except it was too late now. But she screamed and screamed and screamed.

Sasuke and Naruto had been wrong. The names of dead people she barely knew wouldn't be the ones to break her heart. No. It was the name of one dead man that shattered her heart into a million unfixable pieces.

* * *

Author's Note: So...everyone okay? Take a moment to take a deep breath in and then out.

All right, so, the lovely thing about a compilation of oneshots is that a character can be dead in this chapter and then alive in the next. Unless the next chapter is also angst and, well, you could very well end up reading a character die all over again.

Anyways, thank you to everyone who's been leaving reviews (definitely keeps the writing going a lot more). And thank you to everyone who's been hitting that follow/favorite button – I very much appreciate it!

I would also just like to let you all know that writing angst does come easier to me. I find that when I write fluff and rainbows and unicorns, it's never as, for a lack of a better term, natural as writing drama-filled and angst-filled. Notwithstanding, no guarantees, but...would you all like another drama-sesh for the next chapter or something more fluff and happy and cute?


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: All Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto**

Author's Note: I can't sleep. It's almost 2 in the morning and I can't sleep. I've been going to bed at four in the morning for the past couple of days. So while I'm not wholly pleased with my sleeping schedule, at least I've got another chapter for you all.

Short. Sweet. Happy reading!

AU

* * *

Chapter 4:

 **Green eyes, Red eyes**

Upon hearing the soft rustling of the leaves, Sakura barely managed to glance behind her before she felt arms grasping her waist and taking her away. In the next second, she was flying. Though she knew she wasn't really flying, she imagined that running at such an incredible speed was as close as she could to soaring the skies.

Beneath the sound of the whistling wind, Sakura's tinkling laughter echoed. She watched as the trees blurred all around her, their greens and browns mixing together like splattered watercolor paint on a canvas. When she caught a glimpse of a startled owl fly quickly from its branch, she threw her head back in joyous laughter. With her head still thrown back, she stared at the expanse of the pale blue sky above her.

The sky was always so peaceful and so beautiful. And even on those stormy nights when the clouds menacingly gathered together, even then, the sky was beautiful.

Unbeknownst to Sakura, her captor shared a semblance of her thoughts, but he stared at her, not at the sky.

As they burst through the tree line, they landed deftly and softly in a field of flowers. Slowly and just a bit unwillingly, Sakura's captor released her from his hold. Resettling her bare feet on the ground, she giggled softly as the grass tickled the soles of her feet. Sparing her surroundings a glance, she smiled at the thousands of yellow poppies dancing in the light breeze.

He always took her to places filled with flowers. But Sakura knew that today was different from all those other times he took her away. Poppies, after all, were her favorite.

Finally meeting the eyes of her captor, her smile brightened and a faint blush washed across her cheeks when she noticed that he was already gazing at her.

Wounding her arms around his neck, she closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest. Her captor followed suit by encircling his arms around her waist and placing his chin gently atop her pink hair. Standing in a field of yellow poppies with her dress fluttering against the wind and the dews on the grass glittering from the morning sun, she murmured, "I've missed you, Itachi."

And against the coldness of his skin, Itachi felt Sakura shiver ever so slightly as he welcomed the warmth of her embrace. Even after all these years, Itachi still couldn't believe why Sakura did not recoil under his touch the same way other people did. When he had asked her some time ago, she had laughed as if the answer to his question had been so obvious – "I love you," she had said.

Oh, how long had it been?

* * *

The first time Itachi saw her, she was no more than eight years of age. It had been raining heavily and back then, she had been wearing a tattered dress with her hair and her face covered in grime.

From the alley across the street, Itachi spotted the skulking figure of a hooded man. The man had eyes as red as the blood that dripped from the corners of his lips. Those red eyes wandered over to the pink-haired girl that stood with her head bowed down as the rain poured over her miserable form.

The girl did not move from her position even as the hooded man approached her. At that point, Itachi intended to ignore the girl. After all, anyone who didn't have the sense to at least run from danger deserved to die. Even though running would have been futile, it would have at least been a sign of one's desire to survive. And that man with the glowing red eyes, he was so much more than danger.

But as the man prepared to attack the defenseless little girl, she finally looked up from the ground. Her eyes, however, did not even stray towards the man who had fangs that were bared and ready for the kill. Rather, her eyes trailed over to Itachi's departing form.

Perhaps it was the lack of fear in the girl's eyes that made Itachi pause in the act of abandoning her to what should have been vicious fate. Or perhaps it was the purity and the honesty that were reflected in those eyes that made Itachi stop in his tracks. Eyes that showed an untainted soul despite the obviously cruel hand she had been dealt. Whatever the reason, under the pouring gray skies in an equally gray village, the girl's emerald eyes shone with something akin to a promise.

Within a split second, Itachi stood behind the man that had been prepared to attack the green-eyed girl. Itachi reached forward, and the man spluttered as a hand tore threw his chest. Pulling his heart out, Itachi watched the man crumble like a broken puppet to the ground.

Itachi paused as he waited for the resounding scream from the surely terrified child. But when a few seconds passed and the only sounds he could hear were the girl's heart and the rain, Itachi glanced down.

A streak of blood had splattered over the girl's face, but otherwise, her expression remained unchanged.

Arching a brow, Itachi asked, "Are you not afraid of me, child?"

Slowly, the girl shook her head.

"Do you know what I am?" he asked much carefully. The existence of his kind was not a secret to the villagers. Surely the girl should have known that fear was the only appropriate response.

The girl paused before answering. "You're a vampire."

"And you're still not afraid?"

This time, the girl closed her eyes when she replied. "Mama and papa were killed by a vampire. But you saved me even though you're a vampire." Opening her eyes, she looked Itachi in the eyes as she declared, "I'm not afraid of you. Not when you saved me despite being a vampire."

Itachi pursed his lips at the little girl's admission. He didn't know whether to marvel at the ease at which she trusted others in spite of her brutal revelation, or to the laugh at the stupidity of her budding ideals.

"The only time your eyes should be at the ground is when you are falling, otherwise, use them to know where your enemies are hiding." With that piece of advice, Itachi moved to leave. Yet as he turned, a small hand clutched at his fingers.

Itachi's breath hitched. A human had never touched him. They always flinched back at the first sight of Itachi and his kind. But this girl…this girl clung to him as if he was not a vampire…as if he was just another _human_.

Craning his neck backwards, Itachi sighed when he noted that the girl was not planning on releasing him anytime soon. Turning around completely, he bent down on one knee and faced the girl.

"What is your name, child?" he inquired.

The little one's eyes widened and a smile adorned her face when she answered. "Sakura," she said brightly.

"Itachi," he offered.

And under the pelleting rain, a green-eyed Sakura and a red-eyed Itachi met.

* * *

She was sixteen when he realized that he loved her. She was sixteen when a human boy asked her to return his affections. She was sixteen when he believed she might leave him to marry the human boy. She was sixteen when Itachi thought he felt his dead heart beat once again.

They were sitting in a clearing with wild flowers growing sporadically around them. She was making a wreath of flowers when she told him about the human boy.

"I saw Lee-san at the market today, Itachi," she said as she strung together the flowers in her hand.

"Hn." He thought she was just telling him another story about the villagers. After all, Sakura loved people and in return, they seemed to love her just as much. How would those same people feel when they found out that their beloved Sakura spent her days with a vampire?

"Anyways, he professed his love for me," she proclaimed calmly.

Sakura didn't notice how Itachi's entire body had stiffened at her words.

Itachi always knew that one day he would lose her. Humans were such fragile creatures and Sakura was no exception. But this…this was unexpected. A boy…a human boy might take her away from him.

For a moment, Itachi considered doing something that would remind people of the nature of his kind. Itachi knew the boy that Sakura had mentioned. He imagined the boy with his thick eyebrows and bowl-cut hair, and he thought about sinking his fangs into the boy's neck until every last drop of blood was gone. For a moment, Itachi considered the deplorable act.

But he remembered Sakura and any thoughts of the dead boy vanished. Over the years, Sakura had changed Itachi. He wasn't going to lie and pretend that he no longer attacked humans because at the end of the day, Itachi was still a vampire and blood was necessary for his survival. He, however, admitted that he was a little less cruel than his past self. Perhaps even a little kinder.

So Itachi forcibly shook away any thoughts of eliminating the boy and instead, prepared himself for the moment when Sakura would declare that she was abandoning him for _Lee-san_.

"Do you…share his sentiments?" As the words left his mouth, Itachi thought he felt his dead heart crack.

Smiling ruefully, Sakura shook her head. "I told him that I could not return his love." She paused and threaded two more flowers together. "I told him I was already in love with someone else."

Itachi remained silent but when Sakura raised her head to look at him, he realized that he loved her too.

* * *

And now at the present time, Sakura was nineteen years of age and she had grown beautifully. Sometimes, when the boys around the village allowed their gazes to linger on her form a little too long, Itachi thought she might have grown _too_ beautifully.

Moving to cup her face in his hands, Itachi leaned down to place a whisper of a kiss on her lips. When he pulled back, Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she seemed dazed.

The ever-present smirk on Itachi's face transformed into the smallest of smiles. Pulling her close to his body once more, Itachi could feel the thundering beat of Sakura's heart. Had his own heart been alive, it would have likely jolted out of his chest.

At nineteen years, Sakura's eyes still shone like bright emeralds with a promise still glinting in them.

At nineteen years, Itachi finally said, "I love you."

* * *

Author's Note: Like I said, short. Sweet. Hope you all liked it. If you did, please leave a review! I read em and they really push me to write more.

Other than that, hopefully you all have better sleeping habits than me.


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